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A recent small case series in Wound Management and Prevention took a look at the effect of extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) on complex chronic wounds.¹ Specifically the patients in question had multiple comorbidities and underwent threatment in a medically underserved outpatient wound care clinic setting. Initial data collected included baseline wound dimensions and photographs. All patients received standard-of-care wound cleansing. Those patients receiving the ESWT had treatments weekly for a maximum of 12 weeks (focused electrohydraulic acoustic pulses).¹

The initial study cohort consisted of 13 patients and 18 total wounds. After data collection, the researchers excluded 3 subjects (5 wounds) for a final cohort of 10 patients and 13 wounds.1 Twelve out of 13 wounds healed completely be week 12. All wounds exhibited significant reductions in size during the treatment course.¹

The authors concluded that ESWT could be a treatment option with appealing results with respect to speed, safety, cost, and accessibility, especially for patients with complex chronic wounds.  They noted that further research will be necessary to validate their findings.¹

Reference

1. Nemeth D, Shah JB. Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) in an outpatient wound care clinic: case series analysis of a non-invasive technology in the management of chronic wounds for wound bed preparation. Wound Manage Prevent. Available at: https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/wmp/empirical-studies/extracorporeal-shockwave-therapy-eswt-outpatient-wound-care-clinic-case . Published June 2024. Accessed August 22, 2024.